Monday, November 23, 2009

I finally got a new camera! A beautiful Canon T1i (thanks for the advice Danielle!). I've been dying to improve the still photography on the blog, as well as have something that can take decent low-light plate shots with when I'm in restaurants.

When I got home from the store I went immediately to YouTube to get some tutorials for using it. Thankfully there were lots of photographers who had posted videos on what all the buttons do (so many buttons), as well as some pretty good SLR photography basics.

It was during this initial research that I discovered something wonderful and unexpected. My new camera apparently has a really nice HD video feature! Bonus. So this quick and sticky video recipe for huckleberry jam was basically done as a test to see how much better the quality would be.

In addition to not really knowing how to make jam (I just winged it from memory of one I made like 15 years ago), I have very little experience with HD anything. Some folks on YouTube already commented on the video, regarding how to save the video in iMovie to take advantage of the higher resolution. I saved it at 640 x 480, but have been told I need to save it at 1280 x 720.

I know I also have to change the movie settings to letterbox to match the camera's video dimensions. If any of you former A/V clubbers want to chime in with recommendations for using this camera for HD video, I'd love to hear it! Thanks and enjoy!

* You should refer to the box directions for best results. I was more interested in the camera, and so I just made this from memory. It tastes great, but at the time of this posting it hadn't chilled long enough to analyze the firmness, or lack there of.

26 comments:

Nadim
said...

Hi Chef! I was wondering if you could also put your ingredients in (horror) metric. I follow your blog from Dubai. Converting the measurements is a bit of a pain, and though worth it, it would be great if the conversions were right there in the list. So how about it?

Chef John! I first came across your videos through the "how to eat a chicken wing" bit, and I just stumbled across your excellent tutorial on folding egg whites on about.com. I love your videos - your little quips are hilarious! (My favorite line - "You're not folding yet, you're just like, 'Hey, how're you doing, batter?" hahaha).

Anyway, I just made a very failed first attempt at angel food cake and I don't know exactly what I did wrong. I searched on your blog for angel food but didn't see anything relevant. You can check out details on the whole mishap here: http://stephanie.posterous.com/foodie-tuesday-cooking-with-egg-whites-or-don

wow,chef,this is awesome.I've been following foodwishes ever since you made that blurry Egg Benedict video recipe (it's still a very sexy piece of bread).I was kinda wondering when u're gonna make HD Video recipe.T1i is a very smart choice by the way,and if you have time to surf on the net a lil bit,u'll find out that the HD video capability of DSLR completely change the future of cinematography.Just like your way of teaching (through videos,stories,with lots of fun and passion) will change the way of teaching in culinary school.I'm sure u'll have a great time playing with your DSLR.and I'm looking forward to see new kickass HD Video recipe.Wish u all the best,Chef!

And Chef,just in case you don't know,the T1i is actually the eos 500D(different names for the exact same product),so if you search for reviews on internet,"canon 500D" may gives u more results.And you DO read the manual,don't you?Enjoy!

Great H.D. quality. Try putting the camera on a stand, to hold it still a "Bit" more. Or, ask your wife to hold it still. Adjust the focus, more to your pan/bowl/whatever, and let the back ground blur a bit. Maybe angle the camera more to see some of the background. Buy 2, and put them on both sides, and in the editing program, switch to the best footage in the editing program. Also, ask your wife not to zoom so close to the bowl, it takes away the "Professionalism"

setting it to 720p will be more than enough and the letterbox option will be disabled since 720p is already letterboxed...

and for TV like smoothness select 30fps or for that "cinematic" feel to the video (and youtube download times will be faster...) select 24fps, you can always plug in an external microphone and get a mini one that clips on your shirt, but since you voice over everything AFTER filming it, it would be a waste of money in your case...

Chef, how do you get huckleberries in SF? These are wild berries and have to be picked in woods if I am correct.

Wild huckleberries are superior to the farmed blueberries - a lot more flavor, more color too. They stain your hands and tongue for a long time. The "blueberries" I grew up on in eastern Europe were actually huckleberries.

Try to put your jam into a strong ceylon black tea (2 spoons of jam and some sugar). It takes some time to dissolve and you end up with bits of fruit floating at the bottom - so you can strain those away - but its nothing that a man could not handle, and the flavor and color boost of your black tea makes up for the trouble. It works best on a miserable soggy evening, jam in the tea is a Russian invention.

That was a BEAUTIFUL video!Congrats on all the good things going on with you--you definitely deserve the best.Ok. I gotta ask. It's not how do you get huckleberries in SF--it's how do you get them this time of year? I have a ton in my freezer but those look fresh!The jam looks great.I'm having trouble leaving this comment again (except on anon)jackie

Hi Chef John!I just wanted to let you know a little tip you might want to try next time you make jam. I make A LOT of jam for friends and family, and when I make a berry jam I add pureed green apple (known as granny smith in Australia - not sure what they are called in the US sorry) some apple juice and some lemon juice. I add about 2 med apples and half a cup of each juice per 1/2 kilo of fruit (sorry again Australian measurements...) It makes the jam really naturally sweet and tangy - very addictive...I really love your channel on you tube - and I love working my way through your recipes when I get the chance to cook - thanks for sharing your recipes and ideasKind regards, Lisa the 'Aussie' :-)